Rural Women Centre for Education and Development (RuWCED)

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The Rural Women Center for Education and Development (RuWCED) Cameroon, founded in 2005, is a not-for-profit grass root organization that works to promote the health, education, livelihoods, human rights and development of rural women, youths and children. We work in collaboration with community based women groups, traditional councils, schools and health centers. We also explore and extend the relationship between resources, women's health and women´s human rights in a bit to promote a humanistic vision of bodily integrity and well-being.

Our Vision
We seek solutions to critical rural community problems like: no/poor access to education, safe drinkable water, reproductive health education, HIV/AIDS and stigma, violence, cultural discrimination and access to productive resources that can enable women, youths and children enjoy the fulfillment of their human and bodily rights.

Our Mission
We envisage rural communities in which women, youths, as well as children can exercise their rights and access the resources necessary to live a dignified and fulfilling life, villages where people, especially women/girls infected with HIV/ AIDS and other STIs can get access to antiretroviral and live stigma free lives!

Areas of work:
• Sexual and Reproductive Health Education
• Girl child education
• Violence against Women
• Livelihood
• Sport for Health
• Sustainable Agriculture
• Democracy and Local Accountability

Projects:
• Health and Sanitation within schools: We provide sanitary napkins to primary school pupils, give small scholarships to underprivileged girls and orphans whose mothers passed out at child birth or related event (children orphaned by maternal mortality), organise reproductive health education lessons and also give transport assistance to women and girls living with HIV/AIDS to go for antiretrovirals. We are also trying to get connections with doctors to come to the villages where we work and do monthly consultations for women and girls.
• IT Training: RuWCED launched this project on teaching rural communities on the use of information technology and computer literacy. Our Ndop and Fundong vocational training centers are operational and we aim at extending this to different local communities within the North West Region of Cameroon.
• Tri-package scholarship: The tri components of our package include: Educational sponsorships, Reproductive health lectures and Livestock for economic sustenance.
• Community micro-finance: RuWCED´s community micro-finance project aims at providing financial assistance to poor rural communities who have no health insurance nor can take care of their health needs. We work to empower local communities on issues of land use, food security and environmental conservation. We also network with government agencies and INGOs, to provide the needed training and possible market opportunities.
• Sewing and Dressmaking: Through RuWCED´s tailoring and garments cutting program, our vision is to empower girls and youths in rural communities by equipping them with the necessary skills and knowledge to enable them become self-reliant.
• HIV/AIDS Prevention, Screening and anti-stigma Education: RuWCED embarks on a Division wide HIV/AIDS prevention, care, nutrition and anti-stigma education program aimed at reaching 50,000 youths in the 13 villages of Ngoketunjia Division of the North West Region of Cameroon. Thirty nine peer educators trained from the 13 villages, educational and support outreaches on-going, free and voluntary mass screening on-going at our hubs in the different villages.

Vera Wirsiy is the Coordinator of RuWCED-Ndop.

For other net participants we can offer an expert guidance through trained staff, give an expert opinion, procure expert information and establish new contacts in the field of our work.